Why There Is No Such Thing As A Sworn Bachelor

Away from the depressing local news headlines, Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor is off the market.   The guy who made bachelorhood seem like a calling, is getting hitched.  Personally, I like George Clooney. He is a decent actor who always struck me as accessible and his work had some measure of principle. I liked his roles in Ocean’s Eleven franchise and in the Syriana. His political/humanitarian activism in places such as Darfur and Haiti seemed fairly impactful. But we know Clooney more for the string of beautiful women he dated and the endless magazine covers that focused solely on his ‘sexiness’ and eligibility.

George Clooney, described as one of the enduring male sex symbols of the silver screen had often sworn he would never get married. Therefore, his change of heart has shone a huge spotlight on the exotic woman who stole his heart. Her name is Amal Alamuddin, a British-Lebanese who is the perfect beauty and brains package. She has a resume that will impress even her most envious critics. She advised Koffi Anan on Syria and represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in his fight against extradition. Clearly she is the brainy one in the relationship and at 53 years of age, George Clooney will coming out shining for hooking up with a smarter woman. Women respect men who are not intimidated by sharp women. It is a sign of cahones because the popular myth is that men run scared when faced with the prospect of life with an intellectually superior woman.

George knew that stakes were high here. So he proposed to Amal with a $750, 000 diamond ring.  I doubt they would be a girl out there who would hesitate for moment at a sight of a rock that large. Therefore, what can we learn from this George affair, for as it is written in Hollywood, so shall it play out in our lives. The first is that some things do not change. Nothing says “I love you” more clearly than a diamond. Secondly is that there is no such thing as a sworn bachelor. A man may live in denial for years but as long as he has a flourishing career and some measure of stability sooner or later some woman will convince him to make room for two on his island. Thirdly, the right woman can clear all doubts and hurts held from previous relationships and change even the most rigid of cynics.

The narrative for single women who intimidate men with their brains is one of hope. Amal found George, so the prospects cannot be that bad. Hang in there, make no compromise and some good man, who is rich, famous, good looking and terribly well-mannered will come knocking. I wouldn’t be optimistic of the options out there. You would have better luck finding a hen with teeth than a single man over 40 devoid of serious baggage.

For aspiring bachelors, Clooney is not the ideal role model. Anyone who is not married by 53, had better have a solid alibi for this omission in their life. An independent and successful woman in her 50s could always level the excuse that men were intimidated by her brilliance. A bachelor in his 50s on other hand will be dismissed as a miser shunning responsibility, a woman hater and probably a closeted gay man.

The bottom line. You can’t be single and happy forever. Some day, you will have to get married.